“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 7:14, ESV
Here, the birth that was to come was foretold, and the people had awaited this miracle for four hundred years. A child would be born of a young woman, a virgin that would be God Himself, the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One. A promise that was delayed but fulfilled for the moment that changed the course of history and of time. No matter if they try to hide it with their acronyms of B.C.E. instead of B.C. and C.E. instead of A.D., the fact is not changed because we know that around this time, a great event occurred that points only to one, our Lord and Savior. This is what we proclaim and carry the torch out into the world. The darkness was closing in when our Lord entered the world, but like the lengthening of days we see before us, we have Christ always before us. As we proclaim Him, we carry out hope and promise into a world that may seem hopeless. When we see the conflict and strife that surrounds us, we carry with us peace. Our Lord is the Prince of Peace, and in Him, we know that glory stands as we look forward to the time, we remember His birth, and stand prepared for His return to bring a close to the end of the age.
Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.